The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga football team fell to the Furman Paladins 41-17 on Saturday afternoon at Finley Stadium. The loss dropped the Mocs to 1-5 overall for the first time since 2008.

Freshman quarterback Cole Copeland, Cleveland, Tennessee, posted a UTC freshman record 317 passing yards in his first career start. Copeland was the first true freshman to start at quarterback for UTC since 1995.

RiverRocks Chattanooga, a two-week long event, celebrates athletes ranging from amateur to world-class with outdoor competitions, events and live music all taking place Downtown Chattanooga until Oct. 21.

“The events of RiverRocks are all-inclusive with some aimed at extreme athletes, including one event where you run 50 miles on the back side of a mountain, and another event that includes swimming thirty miles in the Tennessee River. [There’s also] something for every level of people, including hikes, musical entertainment and activities for children,” said Ann Ball, the events producer of RiverRocks Chattanooga.

Since 2010, RiverRocks has worked to promote the outdoor destinations in Chattanooga that sometimes get overlooked. The mission of the multi-day event is for people of all demographics to enjoy the simple and free outdoor activities offered in Chattanooga.

The kickoff of events began on Thursday, Oct. 5 with the Fireside at the Greenway, followed by the 3 Sisters Bluegrass Festival, Mountain to Town Guided Bike Adventure, Sculpture in the Sky, which is an exhibition of colorful kites, and the Chattanooga Celebration and Ciclovia, a biking event with block parties. These events all took place Friday through Sunday.

Beginning Wednesday, Oct. 11 is the Snail Darter, a swim along the Chattanooga Waterfront. The Cannonball is an endurance challenge where the last person running a 4.3-mile-long loop is announced as the winner. The Lula Lake Five Points 50, Chattanooga’s Ultimate Endurance Mountain bike race, Swim the Suck, a 10-mile water race, Chatt-Town Throw Down, a rock climbing competition, and the Wild and Scenic Film Festival are all events taking place this weekend.

On Sunday, the 7 Bridges Marathon and 7 Bridges Events will take place, followed by Family Fun-Day Sunday with outdoor activities including canoeing, archery and a nature hike.

There are many other events throughout the two-week interval of RiverRocks, with the finale taking place on Friday, Oct. 20. The finale, Best Town (for)Ever, is a block party downtown with food, live music, and other family activities produced by the same company responsible for Nightfall. The finale concert will host Luthi, a band that Ball said “will appeal to college students’ tastes.”

“These events build community and introduce local people to places they may have never adventured or even heard of without this opportunity,” said Ann Ball. “Events like these are necessary to promote our city’s beauty, while also helping the economy of the town through bringing in more people than average.”

All events are free to attend, with an exception of some of the athletic events requiring an entry fee to compete.

Chattanooga’s beautiful waters will be filled with over 1,000 athletes competing in the Chattanooga Head Race regatta on Oct. 14.

For those who might not be familiar with the term regatta, it is a generic term for a boating competition. The Chattanooga Head Race is specifically a rowing regatta, in contrary to a sailing regatta. Hundreds of high school, college and club athletes will come to Chattanooga to compete for a title in the annual Chattanooga Head Race.

This year is particularly special as this will be the 25th Anniversary of the Chattanooga Head Race. Director of the regatta, Mike Connors, is excited to see the wide range of attendees that come out for the event.

“We will see rowers ages 12 through 80,” said Connors. “It is truly a sport you can participate in your entire life.”

The Lookout Rowing Club started the Chattanooga Head Race in 1993 at Ross’ Landing and began by just wading boats in the water. At its start, there were about 100 boats competing which has now expanded to over 450 boats and 1,500 athletes participating in events.

Despite the title “Head Race” the boats do not actually race head to head. The boats start in a series and are measured across the course through a synchronized timing system between the start and finish line.

“They are racing against the clock,” said Connors, “The boat that covers the 5K course in the fastest time wins.”

Most of the competitors come from the Southeastern part of the U.S. including Tennessee, Georgia, Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, Alabama, Kentucky, Texas and Louisiana. Master Rowers come from club programs and are over the age of 22 where they fall into a bracketed category to compete.

Chattanooga’s very own UTC Rowing Team will also be participating in this event for the 25th year in a row. According to President of the Rowing Team, Olivia Been, the group has been training non-stop since the first day of classes.

“We practice every morning at 5:45 and at each workout we have a regatta in mind,” said Been.

The team is extremely familiar with the course, which takes away some element of stress for them when competing. The away teams will struggle with not knowing where they are on the course, in contrary to the UTC Rowing Team who will feel right at home on the river.

“I am excited to see how the crew will use that to our advantage,” said Been.

As the regatta approaches, the group’s mindset this week is on training to place in the competition. The group is a proud supporter of club and varsity sports all over campus and would love support from UTC students on a day they have worked extremely hard for. Been loves her team and is proud of what they has accomplished since their start.

“Some of the most spirited individuals I’ve met since coming to school here are on the team with me,” said Been.

With over 5,000 predicted to attend the event, the rowers will have plenty of support as they put their skills and hard work to the test.

Multiple hotels in the Chattanooga area are welcoming guests and offering discounted room prices to make your stay more affordable and allow more guests at the regatta. Panera Bread is also offering breakfast, boxed lunches and refreshments for volunteers and referees.

Volunteers are welcomed and appreciated to provide support for the competitors. Students are encouraged to visit the river this week to witness the UTC Rowing Team along with teams from all around the U.S. compete for a place in this years Chattanooga Head Race.

A redesign of Lupton Library has been ongoing for about two years, and still has about two more to go; its completion has the potential to affect many students and student organizations.

The redesigned building will house a new POD market, classrooms and student organizations like the Women’s Center, Multicultural Center and SGA.

Kenny Tyler, director of engineering and planning, said the expenses are expected to be roughly $38 million, and this budget will include renovations for Lupton as well as a separate renovation for the Fine Arts Center. The Lupton redesign is expected to be completed by January 2020.

SGA President Rachel Emond said the need for additional Student Organization space prompted the redesign.

“First, they needed to figure out what to do with Lupton once we opened the new library. It’s a really usable space, and we wanted to make sure that it would become something of extreme value to the student body,” she said. “They decided to go with a better space for student organizations because the division of Student Development saw this as a great way for student organizations to come together and to interact with academic affairs in a new way.”

Emond said putting student organizations in Lupton would likely make them more accessible to students.

Emond said, “Students will have to walk past the Multicultural Center, the Women’s Center, and student organizations in order to get to class and I think that will not only create awareness of their existence and location but it will also help students feel more comfortable wandering into their offices.”

According to Jim Hicks, dean of students, the first floor will house student activities and organizations.

Hicks said, “The first floor is going to largely be student activity space. That’s where the Multicultural Center and the Women’s Center will be. International services will be there, in addition to kind of an open space for organizations to use as work space.”

Tyler said that the relocation will put student organizations in the center of campus, which he hopes will facilitate idea sharing.

Traditional classrooms in addition to Technology Enabled Active Learning classrooms will be implemented throughout the Lupton redesign as well, most of which will be located on the second floor. These TEAL classrooms are very technologically advanced and aim to promote collaborative learning through technology.

“Students can collaborate around a technology component at a table,” Tyler said. “They can use their laptops to dial into whatever the teacher may be teaching on that day. The teacher can be placed anywhere in the room in this configuration, because he or she simply places the information in to everybody at the tables, and they can respond that way. The classrooms are more open to collaboration rather than just the teacher teaching from one central spot in the room or one traditional way of teaching.”

Tyler said that the TEAL format shakes up the norms of traditional teaching.

Tyler said, “It really challenges the teaching method that has been for so long in place, where you have somebody talking to you, where it this case, maybe it’s trying to pull you in and gather you into a conversation where you’re actively doing rather than just listening.”

In addition, all of the testing centers on campus will be migrating into one area at the front of the second floor of the renovated Lupton. Tyler said that the testing rooms will vary in size from a larger room to some smaller, single sized rooms.

Hicks said that the testing centers have been heavily worked on by both the Disability Resources Center (DRC) and Academic Affairs.

Hicks said, “I know that Academic Affairs and DRC have worked with the architects and worked with the designers to design a space [that is] designed to be used as a testing center, so I can only think that that’s going to be an improvement.”

In regard to the transition itself, Emond said it won’t be much of a problem for SGA.

Emond said, “They’re being very intentional about making sure there are going to be meeting spaces that all organizations have access to, and we’ll also still be able to use the Raccoon Mountain Room for Senate Body meetings. It’s definitely going to be a culture change, but ultimately I think it will make SGA more transparent and accessible.”

However, the renovation has the potential to affect parking for students and faculty.

Tyler said that at this time he doesn’t know exactly how parking will be affected by the construction, but he noted the construction equipment will have to be put somewhere in Heritage Plaza.

Tyler said, “Because of where we are having to set the construction crane, we’re somewhat limited as to where we can put that. It’s going to have to go somewhere in the Heritage Plaza area, and it is possible that it might block off portions of Heritage Plaza. As far as the parking goes, at the moment we don’t know how it’s going to affect it.”

Hicks was a little more specific and said that lot 11 could be affected, although, he said nothing has been officially decided yet.

“There is a potential for one of the lots to be blocked off,” he said. “That has to go into the planning, and they’re looking at possible ways to deal with that. Nothing has been decided yet. It will have some impact; it’s a very large project.”

Despite potential inconveniences, Emond thinks this change could liven up campus with its modern redesign.

Emond said, “I think one thing that’s going to be great is just how it will change the look and feel of that part of campus. As much as Lupton holds a special place in my heart (the first semester of my Freshman year was the last semester Lupton Library was open), it is such an eye sore — and this redesign will really open it up and help beautify that part of campus.”

]]>http://www.theutcecho.com/lupton-remodel-will-impact-students-and-organizations/feed/0Men’s Golf: Mocs show improvement through first month of the seasonhttp://www.theutcecho.com/mens-golf-long-leads-the-way-through-the-first-month-of-the-season/
http://www.theutcecho.com/mens-golf-long-leads-the-way-through-the-first-month-of-the-season/#respondWed, 11 Oct 2017 23:09:53 +0000http://www.theutcecho.com/?p=27027Sophomore Luke Long, Fayetteville, Arkansas, looks on after a shot in the Carpet Capital Collegiate in Rocky Face, Georgia. (Photo Contributed by Chattanooga Athletics)

By Chris King, Sports Editor —

The men’s golf team has had a busy first month of the season as the Mocs have competed in Georgia, Alabama and North Carolina. The Mocs claimed a season-best eighth place finish at the Wolfpack Intercollegiate in Raleigh, North Carolina.

The Mocs have progressively gotten better in the first month of the season. UTC opened the season with a 13th place finish in the Carpet Capital Collegiate followed by a 10th place finish in the Shoal Creek Invitational. The season-best finish at the Wolfpack Intercollegiate capped off a first month of improvement for the Mocs.

Carpet Capital Collegiate

To open the season, the Mocs traveled to Rocky Face, Georgia, to compete in the Carpet Capital Collegiate on August 8-10. UTC finished 13th with an overall score of 892 and Georgia Tech won with a score of 850.

Individually, sophomore Luke Long, Fayetteville, Arkansas, led the way for the Mocs as he finished tied for 24th which was good for 1-over. Senior Phillip Hickam, Olive Branch, Mississippi, finished tied for 31st at 3-over.

Shoal Creek Invitational

Following the 13th place finish in Georgia, the Mocs competed in the Shoal Creek Invitational in Birmingham, Alabama, on September 25-26. The Mocs finished 10th overall with a final score of 883 which was 34 shots behind the winner, Wake Forest.

Individually, Long finished tied for 16th at 1-over and junior Lake Johnson, Chattanooga, finished tied for 29th at 5-over.

Wolfpack Intercollegiate

The Mocs traveled to the Wolfpack Intercollegiate and turned in the best performance of the season. UTC finished in eighth place with an overall score of 877. NC State ended up winning its own tournament with an overall score of 848.

Individually, Long finished tied for fourth at 5-under which is his first career top 5 appearance. Junior Etienne Brault, Mercier, Quebec, finished tied for 15th at even.

The Mocs return to the tee for a two-day trip to Atlanta, Georgia, for the AutoTrader Collegiate on Monday and Tuesday. The AutoTrader Collegiate will be played at Berkeley Hills Country Club.

17-007242 UTC Police were dispatched to the Mapp Building for a report of a man urinating in Lot 56 earlier in the day. A staff member said she pulled into the parking lot and saw a man urinating. She stated that he was facing her and made no attempt to cover himself. The officer could not get a description of the man. Police patrolled the building and nearby parking lots and did not see anyone in the area.

17-007248 UTC Police dispatch was notified by radio of a pedestrian being struck. An officer had radioed in that he had struck a skateboarder at McCallie Avenue and Palmetto Street. The skateboarder had been riding in the wrong lane and as the officer made a right turn onto Palmetto Street, the skateboarder struck the right front corner of his car. The skateboarder slid upon the roof of his car then fell off. The victim, who was not a UTC student, was alert and conscious. She stated that she was homeless and stays in local shelters. She was complaining of pain in her chest and eye. Chattanooga Fire Department arrived to provide first-aid, but the victim refused treatment. A Hamilton County EMS service arrived, and the victim again refused treatment or transport. The Chattanooga Police Department arrived to work the scene, with UTC Police assisting in traffic control. CPD allowed the lady to leave the scene.

Sept. 29

17-007270 A woman entered the UTC Police Department seeking information about a possible warrant for her arrest out of Pennsylvania. She stated that she has been in a treatment center in Chattanooga for the past month, and was just released. A friend notified that Philadelphia Police had come by her home in Pennsylvania with a warrant for her arrest. The woman was unable to confirm the warrant and asked the UTC Police to help.

The dispatch center checked the NCIC database that showed she had a warrant against her for Contempt of Court. An officer contacted the Philadelphia Police Department who advised that the contempt was for violation of a restraining order. He stated that this type of warrant did not require extradition. The Philadelphia officer asked that the woman stop at any Philadelphia police station when she gets back to settle the warrant.

Oct. 1

17-007308 At 9:58 p.m. an officer responded to a report of two suspicious persons at Stophel Apartments. The two were reported to be wearing animal masks and harassing students in the Stophel courtyard. The officer made contact with the suspects carrying the masks, later identified as two juvenile males. The two stated they were not UTC students and were only charging their phones while visiting their cousin. One of the juvenile males became belligerent with police, shouting profanities and acting aggressively toward police. The police told them to contact their parents or legal guardians.

The one juvenile continued to act belligerent, and refused to contact anyone. This suspect was placed under arrest for disorderly conduct. The other juvenile contacted a parent who agreed to pick him up the police station on campus. It was discovered that the two juveniles were brothers. The mother of the juveniles was informed of the action being taken against both of her sons. The first suspect was transported to JDU where he continued to use profane language during transport and on arrival towards both police and corrections personnel. The second suspect was released to the mother’s custody.

Oct. 2

17-007319 At 11:54 a.m. an officer responded to a reckless endangerment call at Decosimo Apartments. An RA told officers that during health and safety inspections, she noticed a smoke detector covered with tape and a plastic bag. The resident director was on scene, and removed the bag from the detector. The resident was cited to Student Development for tampering with the smoke detector.

Oct. 3

17-007349 At 9:41 a.m. an officer responded to a medical emergency at the UC. The officer went to the third floor and made contact with the injured party. The injured person was identified as a minor, and the injury an accident. Hamilton County EMS arrived and transported the party to Erlanger.

17-007359 An officer was dispatch to Boling Apartments for an illegally parked vehicle. The resident director stated the truck was parked in a 15 minute loading zone for several hours. The license plate on the truck was not in the Parking Services database. The vehicle had a Chattanooga State parking decal. The truck was issued a parking citation. The RD stated that the truck had parked in the spot several times during the week for extended periods of time. He wished to have the truck towed. While radioing in the tow request, the vehicle’s owner came out to the truck.

The driver was identified, and informed about the parking limit in the area he was parked. He stated he understood and had just been coming to visit a friend. While talking to the driver, the officer noticed a large amount of used shotgun shells scattered in the bed of the truck. The officer asked if there was a weapon in the vehicle, and the driver stated no. The officer asked to conduct a search of the vehicle, to which the driver complied. During the search, the officer found more ammunition and a black handgun behind the passenger seat. The driver was then placed in handcuffs for his and the officer’s safety. The officer radioed in the gun and asked for an assisting officer. The owner stated that he forgot the gun was in the truck. When asked if he had a permit, the owner said he didn’t and that the gun was a gift from his grandfather. The gun was not listed as stolen. The officers seized the weapon and trespassed the owner from all UTC property. He was informed that his grandfather would have to claim the gun from UTC Police. The driver was released and informed of his trespass status.

Oct. 4

17-007374 At 10:14 a.m. an officer responded to First Hall in reference to a panic alarm in a classroom. The officer made contact with a faculty member who was engaged in verbal dialogue with a student. The student was exhibiting severe behavioral tendencies. The reporting officer made contact with the student’s guardian and arrangements were made for the parent to escort the student from campus. There were no injuries noted as a result of the incident.

]]>http://www.theutcecho.com/crime-log-from-sept-28-to-oct-4/feed/0Commentary: UTC’s ill-advised choice in public speakerhttp://www.theutcecho.com/commentary-utcs-ill-advised-choice-in-public-speaker/
http://www.theutcecho.com/commentary-utcs-ill-advised-choice-in-public-speaker/#respondTue, 10 Oct 2017 15:00:04 +0000http://www.theutcecho.com/?p=26956Dinesh D’Souza answers a question during the Q&A section of his speaking engagement at the Fine Arts center on UTC’s campus on October 9, 2017 (Photo by Troy Stolt)

By Eric Wise, Assistant News Editor —

Conservative political commentator, writer and filmmaker Dinesh D’Souza appeared at UTC on Oct. 9 as part of the 2017 Burkett Miller Distinguished Lecture Series.

D’Souza is best-known for his movies “2016: Obama’s America” and “Hillary’s America: The Secret History of the Democratic Party.” His movies have a heavy conservative bias, and he is frequently outspoken about his conservative views on Twitter. Following the Pulse Nightclub shooting in Orlando on June 12, 2016 he tweeted about blaming the victims just a day after the terror attack:

Maybe gay activists will start to realize that playing with snakes–which is to say, coddling Islamic radicals–can be quite dangerous

Most recently, D’Souza called Ariana Grande out in a tweet. After the Las Vegas terror attack that occurred on Oct. 2, Grande said that the US needs gun control. D’Souza then replied with a tweet about “bomb control,” where he referenced the terrorist bombing where 22 people died at one of Ariana Grande’s concerts in Manchester, England on May 22.

D’Souza is not the type of person who should be included in the Burkett Miller Distinguished Lecture Series because he not only is willing to blame victims in the wake of terror attacks, but also use the terror attacks as a way to pander to his fan base. He is not someone that the university or the Chancellor should openly invite and support to come speak publicly at our university.

As long as I have been a student here, the university has emphasized inclusiveness. This speaker, being invited and supported by the university, is not inclusive. It’s too late for the university to do anything about it now, but hopefully they will not make this same mistake with someone else in the future.

D’Souza presented “The Moral Case for Capitalism” in the Roland Hayes Auditorium in the Fine Arts Center on Monday at 12 p.m.

Every year college students are at risk for getting the flu from being in close quarters with one another, and experts say that getting the vaccine is the best way to avoid getting sick.

Louanne Weber, director of Student Health Services, said flu season typically kicks off early in October and peaks in February. She said the flu usually ends in April, but last year, this was not the case.

“Last year we had a pretty significant number of cases of Type B flu that presented late April, early May,” Weber added.

Weber said that the best way for students to avoid getting the flu is to get the vaccine.

The flu vaccine is considered to be a 12-month long protection against the virus. It takes up to 2 weeks to take effect in the body after administered.

“The type [of vaccine] that we use is called quadrivalent, and it has four of the most commonly anticipated strands of flu for any given season,” Weber said.

The Student Health Clinic held a flu vaccination drive in UC on September 27th and 28th to help make getting vaccinated easier on students. The clinic also accepts walk-ins for vaccinations from 8:30-11:30 a.m.

Over the last few years, vaccinations have experienced some controversy, and Weber expressed her concern for students who are on the fence about getting vaccinations.

“As a healthcare provider, one of my concerns is that our students and some employees don’t think it’s important to get the vaccine, but it has been proven through lots of research over the years that it is the best protection mechanism,” Weber said.

However, some students, like Kara Cumberton, a junior from Cleveland, said that they prefer not to get the shot because they have gotten sick after getting it.

“I got sick one time after getting it, and I’m really sensitive to vaccines,” said Cumberton.

Despite the controversy, Weber claimed with the vaccine they use it is not possible to get the virus.

“It has no live components in it, so it is not humanely possible to contract the flu from the vaccine,” Weber added.

]]>http://www.theutcecho.com/the-flu-gone-viral-how-to-avoid-getting-sick/feed/0Copeland makes first career start, sets freshman recordhttp://www.theutcecho.com/copeland-makes-first-career-start-sets-freshman-record/
http://www.theutcecho.com/copeland-makes-first-career-start-sets-freshman-record/#respondTue, 10 Oct 2017 11:00:29 +0000http://www.theutcecho.com/?p=27001Freshman quarterback Cole Copeland looks on after throwing a pass against Furman on Saturday, October 7th at Finley Stadium. Copeland set a freshman school-record for most passing yards in a game with 317. (Photo by Ashley Day)

By Kyle Yager, Assistant Sports Editor

True freshman quarterback Cole Copeland, Cleveland, Tennessee, saw his first collegiate action Saturday in UTC’s 41-17 loss to Furman at Finley Stadium. Copeland is the first true freshman to start at quarterback for UTC since 1995.

Copeland received the start as senior quarterback Alejandro Bennifield, Lovejoy, Georgia, and sophomore Nick Tiano, Chattanooga, were each sidelined with an injury. Copeland originally was redshirting for the 2017 season, but burned that redshirt following those injuries.

Copeland looked poised from the start as he went 4-for-4 on their opening drive, including a 41-yard strike to senior wide out Alphonso Stewart, Robertsdale, Alabama. The opening drive ended with a 29-yard field from freshman Victor Ulmo, Chattanooga.

“Obviously, after that first snap you get a lot better,” said Copeland. “I was just trying to make it an audience of one thing, I always preach that. I’m not really out here to impress anyone else, just show my god given ability. I’m not really worried about the fans or this being my first college start. Audience of one.”

On UTC’s ensuing drive, Copeland again went 4-for-4, and again tossed a 40-yard bomb to Stewart. Only this time that pass resulted in a touchdown, and gave the Mocs their only lead throughout the contest at 10-7. It was Copeland’s first collegiate touchdown.

“It was nice, it was a good little feeling,” said Copeland, referencing the touchdown. “I look to get that a little more often, I just can’t turn the ball over.”

Copeland set a freshman record for most passing yards in a game with 317, and set a UTC season-high for completions with 30.

“We had a good week of practice,” said Copeland. “We just have to figure some stuff out, and we will. We’ve got a good group. Some people might be doubting us but this locker room, we’re not doubting anybody. We’ve got the people to do it, the coaching staff to do it, and we will do it.”

Copeland’s final stat line was 30-of-42 for 317 yards, two touchdowns and four interceptions. He was also sacked three times.

With the uncertainty of Tiano and Bennifield’s timetables to return, Copeland would look to be the starter moving forward. Regardless of who’s available, after this performance, Copeland has clearly thrown himself into serious consideration for continuing to start for the Mocs.

]]>http://www.theutcecho.com/copeland-makes-first-career-start-sets-freshman-record/feed/0UTC volleyball handles Samford, sweeps Mercerhttp://www.theutcecho.com/utc-volleyball-handles-samford-sweeps-mercer/
http://www.theutcecho.com/utc-volleyball-handles-samford-sweeps-mercer/#respondTue, 10 Oct 2017 11:00:11 +0000http://www.theutcecho.com/?p=27008The UTC volleyball team celebrates after scoring the final point to secure a victory against UNC Greensboro on September 23, 2017. (Photo by Jordan Thompson)

By Cameron Wood, Staff Writer —

For homecoming weekend, the UTC volleyball team took on Mercer and Samford, the defending Southern Conference champions. Friday night the Mocs came out flat but recovered well to defeat Samford, 3-1. For the homecoming match on Saturday, UTC swept away Mercer without much trouble, 3-0.

In the first set of the match against Samford, the Mocs looked dreadful to start, letting the Bulldogs open up a 12-5 lead early. But like they have all season, the Mocs showed a level of resolve and determination to pull it back and take a 22-20 lead. Despite that effort, Samford won the set 26-24.

The next three sets proved a different story entirely. Junior Miranda Elpers, Louisville, Kentucky, had an excellent match on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball, adding 19 digs and 17 kills. Senior Lauren Greenspoon, Houston, Texas, set the Mocs up well in the attack, racking up 49 assists. These performances helped the Mocs win sets two through four with scores of 25-22, 25-17 and 25-19 respectively.

UTC coach Travis Filar spoke about the match and how important that first set was.

“We had a really rocky start, but the resiliency that we came back with drove us to the four-set win and the challenge is how to use that momentum going into the Mercer match.”

In the match against Mercer, the Mocs always looked to be in control, easily putting away the Bears in three sets 25-23, 25-14 and 25-18. This match was one that showed the Mocs’ depth and reliance on team play over individual performance. Five different players registered at least 10 digs.

The player that highlighted the Mocs’ team spirit was sophomore Bailey Clemons, Nashville, Tennessee. She ended with 10 digs, but always seemed to pop up in the right spots and served up back-to-back aces in the second set that helped put Mercer away.

Filar spoke after the Mercer match about how crucial depth is for the Mocs as a team this season.

“I think that is where our growth has come over the last three years,” said Filar. “Our depth is always going to be something that we call upon.”

With the victories over Samford and Mercer, the Mocs are now 11-9 on the season and 4-2 in SoCon play.. The Mocs return to action this Wednesday against ETSU at Maclellan Gymnasium. There will be free white-out t-shirts given out at the match against ETSU. The match is set to begin at 6 p.m.